8 Days Dorset Beaches and the New Forest Classic Cycling Holiday in England, UK

Burley, New Forest District, Hampshire, South East, England, UK

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“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

“Satisfy your desire with a riding!”

Overview

Peaceful Cycling Tour UK

Starting in the New Forest, this tour combines forest life at its best with the stunning Dorset coast. With several days of optional cycling, the itinerary is very relaxed and provides plenty of time to discover the many pleasures of this diverse holiday area. The tour leads through a variety of forests and woods, where you can enjoy some unusually close encounters with animals. Peaceful and traffic free tracks lead to characterful villages and historic small towns that are a delight to explore.

Key information

Trip type: Self-guided

Lodging: Point to point

Terrain: A few slopes on most days

Difficulty level: Easy (Cyclist doesn't need to have certain level of fitness, mostly flat terrain though occasionally they will ride in unpaved or hills, 10 - 30 miles per day)

Total Distance: 67 miles / 108 kilometers

Bike type: Hybrid bike

E-bike: Available to rent

Highlights

Self-guided cycling

Starts and ends in Burley

Luggage transfers between hotels

Peaceful ride through beaches and forests

Travel protection and adventure handbook

Route directions and maps of the area

7 nights' accommodation

Breakfast each day

Styles

Accommodation

On your Classic trips, The Carter Company has carefully chosen four-star (the very occasional three-star) small hotels and inns, and a few private homes picked for their quality, character, and location.

Program

Itinerary

Day 1: Burley

Arrive in Burley on Friday and check into your hotel in this typical forest village for your first two nights. At a time to suit you, make your way to your base a few minutes’ walks away, which is open from 09:00 to 17:30, to pick up your cycling equipment. Your host will also meet you to run through your itinerary and to familiarize you with the route.

Day 2: Circular ride from Burley

You have designed this route to give you a really good ride through the New Forest and through the varied landscapes of the area. Much is off-road on gravel tracks and a disused railway giving you a great opportunity to see deer, donkeys, pigs, and horses as they roam freely in their natural setting. Wonder at ancient and majestic trees and absorb the peace and tranquility as you ride deep into the forest. Civilization catches up with you as you arrive in the forest village of Brockenhurst before pedaling along embankments and steaming through bridge holes back to Burley.

Distance: 21 miles (34 kilometers)

Day 3: Burley to Boscombe

This delightful gentle ride includes tracks with views, forest scenes, and pretty woodland lanes as you wend your way south to the coast. Most of the route is off-road bike paths and forest tracks giving you a peaceful ride. Hop on the ferry at the delightful fishing village of Mudeford, and head along the sandbank past colorful beach huts to Boscombe on the cliff top, where you will spend the next two nights.

Distance: 19 miles (30 kilometers)

Day 4: Boscombe

Today you can enjoy the seaside scene and take time out of the saddle. Enjoy miles of sandy beach and coastal walks on the breath-taking cliff top or hop back on the ferry at Hengistbury to Mudeford if you fancy boating and water skiing. The quay there is a busy spot with plenty going on.

Day 5: Boscombe to Wareham

Today offers a chance to experience some wonderful seaside cycling, as well as a quick ferry ride and untouched National Trust beaches, heath, and woodland. Pedal a short distance through the valley gardens, through the heart of Bournemouth, before hopping on a ferry to the Isle of Purbeck. Blessed with fantastic unspoiled beaches, this tucked away corner of Dorset is loved for its dramatic slopes and beautiful coastline. The route takes a delightful path around the hills on an off-road, into the heart of a charming woodland and eventually ends up in the center of Wareham where you will spend the next two nights.

Distance: 20 miles (32 kilometers)

Day 6: Circular ride from Wareham

Wareham, a delightful and small market town, lies on the River Frome and has a remarkable number of listed buildings - over 200 in total. If you fancy a cycle-free day, you can hire a boat from the quay and potter down the river to Poole harbor and back. Horse riding is another option; or if you like steam trains, you can take rides to Corfe Castle and Swanage, or perhaps you simply want to plop on the beach, in which case you can cycle down to the beautiful beaches at Studland. For those with a taste for adventure, there is a wonderfully rural ride that lets you discover deepest Dorset. The route takes you along two charming river valleys. Encounter hamlets, forests and fords en-route, and pay a visit to a Tank Museum and Lawrence of Arabia’s retreat if you fancy it.

Distance: 24 miles (38 kilometers)

Day 7: Wareham to Burley

Start the day with a very short train hops before pedaling traffic free along with a disused railway line for much of the ride. Cross rivers and heaths, sprint through forests, and enjoy the villages en-route of this woodland area. You will ride through the market town of Wimborne which boasts a fine house in Kingston Lacy, many pubs, and an unspoiled collection of centuries-old shops, houses, and a minster. Return to Burley for the last night of the tour along an upland track with a final view of this outstanding landscape.

Distance: 24 miles (38 kilometers)

Day 8: Depart Burley

Return your bikes to your base and depart at your leisure.

Location

This cycling adventure will cover Burley, Boscombe, and Wareham. The tour in Dorset and The New Forest area is the best way to enjoy everything this unspoiled area has to offer. Many of the bike routes pass along disused railway lines and in The New Forest, there is a large network of woodland trails - both of which provide great traffic-free cycling. Coupled with the fact that the land is relatively flat, the area is an ideal destination for families. The area boasts an astonishing variety in terms of landscape: there are forests and woodlands, breathtaking beaches with charming brightly-colored huts, nature reserves, coastal towns (where you can ride along the cliff tops), and mile upon mile of protected Dorset countryside.

The region is rich in maritime history and there are lots of opportunities to do some ferry hopping between the mainland and islands. Home to almost 200,000 acres of stunning forest and heathland, the New Forest is one of Britain's most unspoiled natural habitats with special qualities, including the freedom to ramble across the unenclosed land.

Food

You will be served breakfast each day. In the UK, all breakfasts are cooked. The Carter Company leaves you free to make your own choices for lunch and dinner.

The following meals are included:

Breakfast

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Regular (typically includes meat and fish)

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

Things to do (optional)

Boating

Horse Riding

Visit to beaches

What's included

Hybrid bikes and additional accessories

Route directions and maps of the area

Services of friendly local hosts to welcome and brief you, share their local knowledge, and look after you

Luggage transfers between hotels

Adventure handbook packed full with information, history, and photos of the area your tour covers, as well as The Carter Company's insider tips on how to discover the local secrets and hidden gems most tourists never see

Emergency call out service

This trip may include a train hop on cycling day

Boat tickets (where specified)

Advice, help, and guidance with all your holiday details before you arrive and during your holiday

Travel protection

Breakfast each day

7 nights' accommodation

What's not included

Airfares

Travel to and from the trip start and finish points unless specified

Entrances to attractions unless specified

Boat fares unless specified

Lunches and dinners unless specified

Alcoholic beverages

Mini bars and meals pre and post the trip

Cancellation Policy

A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.

The deposit is fully refundable if the booking is cancelled up to 60 days before the arrival date.

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